Teams up v Gloucester

[johnthegriff]

I think some of the criticisms following last nights game are a little harsh but not all of them. Manu at 12 for me does not work he is far more effective at 13. I did not think that general play in the first half was that bad but there were a number of silly mistakes both in attack and defence and of course one by the officials who did not spot a blatant forward pass. However the team showed great character and fitness in fighting back to win.
Burns did ok, I thought it was his best game against Gloucester since joining us and he kicked superbly. Pieterson set up two tries and scored one, not a bad debut. The forwards performed well and with players like Tom Croft, Mike Fitzgerald, Mike Williams, Logo Mulipola, Harry Thacker and others to come into the 23 we are looking strong.
In the backs there were mistakes by Tait and Manu but they also did some good stuff.
Cocker and his team will be working on the errors in training and with a first win under our belts Tigers will approach the Wasps game with confidence.

[Hot_Charlie]

Highlights for those interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Fj-zACZ_M

I think for our first try JPP had to check his step a little to allow for the bounce of Burns' kick through, whilst Sharples was able to continue at full pace, maybe why he caught JPP as easily as some seem to think.

JPP had to check and reach behind to get the ball from the bounce, so Sharples was always in pole position to catch him. Good support from Manu though.

[Cagey Tiger]

I just don't think Hansen is doing a very good job as defence coach and Tigers need a decent defensive coach. All in my humble OPINION of course.

I rarely agree with you, but after last seasons defensive woes, and having watched both games against the Ospreys, I was very concerned about the defence. Last night did nothing to allay those concerns. I know that we are playing a more fast and loose game, but 2 seasons ago, when we struggled to score, it was our defence that got us into the top 4. This season, it could get us into the bottom 4. I think that swapping Scott Hansen for Phil Blake is not working at all. Anyway, enough negativity, doom monger I am not.

It was nice to see most scrums as pushing contests (absolutely nothing to do with the new laws/interpretations ).

Agree with everyone about the 50/30 split in the game. I almost stopped watching when we went 31-7 down. Glad I didn't.

[loretta]

Sharples interception try could not be defended against.

Purdeys came from the ball being spilled straight into Hook's hands during a Tiger's attacking move, Hook then had space and Purdey outside him. A freak situation that will challenge most defences. Yes, we missed tackles, but it was scramble defence at that stage which is a great leveller of defensive systems.

To judge the defensive system, we probably should take these 2 tries out of the result. We then have 5 against 2. Not too shoddy.

[Doghashadhisday]

Sharples interception try could not be defended against.

Purdeys came from the ball being spilled straight into Hook's hands during a Tiger's attacking move, Hook then had space and Purdey outside him. A freak situation that will challenge most defences. Yes, we missed tackles, but it was scramble defence at that stage which is a great leveller of defensive systems.

To judge the defensive system, we probably should take these 2 tries out of the result. We then have 5 against 2. Not too shoddy.

For crying out loud you are not allowed to talk sense. Heads must roll.

[baz1664]

Manu was all over the shop yesterday flying out of the line and breaking the defensive structure, against Ospreys we struggled with quick breakdown ball that hit the wing at speed, yesterday's conceded tries were just rubbish decision making by our own players, for me Thompstone needs to come in on the wing and Veainu back at full back, also would look at bringing Kitch in for Slater who looks out of form. Credit tho for the Tigers to turn that around, O'Connor, Harrison, Hamilton played well. Manu will improve and with the introduction of Toomua next to him should help in his decision making. Also nice to see the ref not using the video ref all the time, speeds the game up and offers some continuity!!

[strawclearer]

Sharples interception try could not be defended against.

Purdeys came from the ball being spilled straight into Hook's hands during a Tiger's attacking move, Hook then had space and Purdey outside him. A freak situation that will challenge most defences. Yes, we missed tackles, but it was scramble defence at that stage which is a great leveller of defensive systems.

To judge the defensive system, we probably should take these 2 tries out of the result. We then have 5 against 2. Not too shoddy.

For crying out loud you are not allowed to talk sense. Heads must roll.

Hmmm - this is along the lines of "If my Auntie had balls, she'd be my Uncle!"

The interception try couldn't be defended against - once Tait had thrown a clueless, overly optimistic pass. The 'freak situation' was Betham losing the ball in the tackle. So - two genuine mistakes that we can't pretend didn't happen!

[northerntiger]

I'm a bit surprised at the negative tone of a lot of the posts. Yes, the first half was poor, lots of individual errors, but to come back from that many points down, away, shows unbelievable character. We also have a superb bench, almost a like for like replacement in every position. It was the first game of the season, you expect some rustiness. Call me a happy clapper, but I'm optimistic.

[jgriffin]

I'm a bit surprised at the negative tone of a lot of the posts. Yes, the first half was poor, lots of individual errors, but to come back from that many points down, away, shows unbelievable character. We also have a superb bench, almost a like for like replacement in every position. It was the first game of the season, you expect some rustiness. Call me a happy clapper, but I'm optimistic.

So am I, but defence is one of our two continuing issues, dropping the ball being the other (i.e. forcing).

[loretta]

Sharples interception try could not be defended against.

Purdeys came from the ball being spilled straight into Hook's hands during a Tiger's attacking move, Hook then had space and Purdey outside him. A freak situation that will challenge most defences. Yes, we missed tackles, but it was scramble defence at that stage which is a great leveller of defensive systems.

To judge the defensive system, we probably should take these 2 tries out of the result. We then have 5 against 2. Not too shoddy.

For crying out loud you are not allowed to talk sense. Heads must roll.

Hmmm - this is along the lines of "If my Auntie had balls, she'd be my Uncle!"

The interception try couldn't be defended against - once Tait had thrown a clueless, overly optimistic pass. The 'freak situation' was Betham losing the ball in the tackle. So - two genuine mistakes that we can't pretend didn't happen!

Just a question of attribution. 2 tries caused by mistakes, agreed, but not in defence coaching.

[BG01]

I thought it might be fun to post player ratings surveys after the game so we can see what we all thought of the game, on top of the discussion here. I'll try and do it every week and post the results the following week.

If you fancy rating the players: https://goo.gl/forms/lhLMgz8cqYPyLnFx2

[tigercaspian]

Having taken Mrs TC away for long weekend was not able to go to or watch the game but was delighted with the result.
Have watched the highlights tonight, I think credit is due for recovering from the mess we got ourselves into. Matt Tait gifted two scores, Manu one via his rush miss on 36, and Betham's cough-up gave them four scores. Apart from the cough-up, if you want to allocate blame, you can't allocate blame to the defence coach for those three individual errors.
Anyway, first game brings a bonus point win away from home.
And Stains lost at home.......
Happy? You bet!!

[Old Hob]

So glad to be a Tiger. When we win, we did well (probably could do better), when we lose it's our fault; that's Tigers. The Glaws board is astonishing - happy to take 2 points, could have been worse, would have taken them before the game. Good grief, such a low level of expectation. How many more clubs are like that? Never here I hope.

[Doghashadhisday]

Just watched the game again. IMHO people are being unfair on Tait. Prior to the intercept Tait had played well, there was a try saving tackle on Afoa and a nice kick that pinned Glos back. Whenever we get an intercept it is good play by our player so why not give credit to Sharples instead of having a go at Tait. You could blame him for the penalty but everyone makes mistakes now and again. After that Tait actually had a solid game. Veianu on the other hand apart from his one run actually flew out to try and intercept for their first try, and knocked on a cross field kick. Manu flew out for one of their tries and Betham coughed up the ball from which they scored another. Defensively we were quite good in the first 20 minutes. Two of their tries came from when we were attacking and one was due to Manu flying out of the line.
Burns apart from one bad kick had a good game
Betham and Veianu had very quiet games
JPP 2 assist and 1 try and 1 knock on - not bad for a debut!
Ayerza tackled his heart out
Tom Youngs quiet in loose but throwing in very accurate (especially as Hartley missed about 3 for Saints)
Laccy and Sam excellent throughout the game.
All the subs did well, Ben's chip and Smiths counter rucking deserves a mention.
Not all rosy but actually quite a powerful display from the 23.

[Bundy]

Genuinely confused between an error-strewn (again!) first half and the amazing come back in the 2nd but happily take an away victory at Kingsholm any time! MCaffrey was world class on Friday and the clamour for another No 8 on here (apart from a back-up) is beyond me!